Fauquier County Conservation Roundtable - April 23, 2012

"An enlightened group of folks who care deeply about how we live, work and play - A 5 year view of 4 local institutions and their energy conservation / sustainability efforts / projects"

« Return to List

Primary / Website URL: http://www.energized-fauquier.com

PDF File: fccr energizing local sustainability 23april12.pdf

Energizing Local Sustainability: Snapshot (2007 - 2012) on energy issues as they relate to local institutions such as Fauquier County Government, Vint Hill EDA, Fauquier County Public Schools and the Town of Warrenton located in Northern Virginia / Mid-Atlantic (Piedmont) region. Click PDF File (name - above) to view presentation

Email or 540 219 0445 to discuss content, provide feedback / comments, supply information and / or data, etc.

Fauquier County Conservation Roundtable (FCCR) has been discussing local issues for over 10 years in the Warren Green Building. Founded originally by Bob Lee the reins were taken over by Paul McCulla, County Administrator. Meetings are held quarterly.

Utilities Turn From Coal to Gas - New York Times

"Utilities fight against the inevitable switch to renewable energy"

« Return to List

Primary (E-Com) Contact:	Mathew L. Wald
Communications (#/text):	New York Times
Secondary Contact:	Your online IntraGroups network
Address / Area:	Washnigton, DC
Primary / Website URL:	http://www.nytimes.com



The Energy Challenge: Utilities Turn From Coal to Gas, Raising Risk of Price Increase Feb 5, 2008 New York Times Mathew L. Wald Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company WASHINGTON — Stymied in their plans to build coal-burning power plants, American utilities are turning to natural gas to meet expected growth in demand, risking a new upward spiral in the price of that fuel. Utility executives say they have little choice. With opposition to coal plants rising across the country — including a statement by three investment banks Monday saying they are wary of financing new ones — the executives see plants fired by natural gas as the only kind that can be constructed quickly and can supply reliable power day and night. But North American supplies of natural gas will be flat or declining in coming years, according to the Energy Information Administration. The United States already has high natural gas prices, a problem for homeowners and many industries, like chemical and fertilizer producers. Some experts fear a boom in gas demand for electricity generation will send prices even higher. It has happened before: The price of natural gas tripled in the late 1990s and early in this decade, partly because so many companies built generators to use the fuel. In some places, the power plants became white elephants as higher gas prices made them too expensive to operate, compared with coal plants. Now, with many coal plants being canceled and demand for electricity rising by 2 percent or so a year, the prospect is that utilities will be forced to build and use a new generation of gas-fired plants regardless of the operating cost — and consumers will bear the burden of higher electricity rates. “Coal has been removed in many places as an option,” said Art Holland, a vice president of Pace Global Energy Services, a consulting firm in Washington that advises utilities. New nuclear plants are on the drawing board but will take at least a decade. Sun and wind power, though growing, remain a small part of the nation’s electricity mix, and they provide only intermittent power. “We’re having by default to fall back on gas, as though we learned no lesson from the gas-fired boom,” Mr. Holland said. A wave of public opposition to coal-burning plants, motivated partly by broad fears about global warming and partly by local aesthetic concerns, is making their construction more difficult. On Monday, Wall Street weighed in: Three big investment banks announced that in deciding whether to make loans for new coal plants, they would calculate the projects’ financial viability, taking into account potential future charges for carbon dioxide emissions. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley said they had negotiated this policy with seven major utility companies, most of them major coal burners, and two advocacy groups, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense. The policy will not automatically block financing for coal-burning plants, but the banks are expected to query utilities closely about the potential costs before agreeing to finance such plants. Power generated with natural gas is already sold at a premium. In Florida, for example, where five coal projects have been derailed in the last year, Barry Moline, the executive director of the Florida Municipal Electric Association, looks at Tallahassee’s municipal utility as an indicator of the future. It is nearly 100 percent gas fired, he said, while Gulf Power, to the west, is 70 percent coal. Tallahassee’s electricity rates are about 40 percent higher than Gulf Power’s. Companies that have canceled coal plants have two immediate options other than building gas plants. They can work to hold down customer demand, though most would have to do so on a far more ambitious scale than before. Or they can wait to see what happens. Experts say electricity shortages are a distinct possibility in coming years. “There’s going to be a lot of white knuckles, frankly, as building does not go forward aggressively on any kind of plant, and demand keeps going up,” said Ernest J. Moniz, a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former under secretary of the Department of Energy. Government statistics lag too much to have captured the shift toward gas-fired power plants, but anecdotal evidence abounds. Tampa Electric in Florida, Pacificorp in Wyoming and Utah and Southwestern Power Group in Arizona are among the companies planning or studying gas-fired plants. Coal companies, while acknowledging some high-profile plant cancellations, say they expect continued growth in coal-fired generating capacity, albeit at a more moderate rate. Pace, the consulting firm, recently cut by a third its projection for new coal-fired generating capacity from now to 2025, while doubling its estimate of the amount of gas-fired capacity likely to be built. “Prior to 2007 there was a buildup, and a momentum for people planning to go in the direction of pulverized coal-fired plants, and during ’07 there was definitely a downturn,” said Ronald J. Ott, the director of coal plant construction at Black & Veatch, an engineering and construction company specializing in electricity projects. Amid concern about coal emissions linked to global warming, he said, his company’s clients have tripled the number of natural gas projects under discussion. Barry K. Worthington, executive director of the United States Energy Association, a trade group in Washington, said that some coal plants may have been canceled because of fear of carbon dioxide emissions or fear of future carbon taxes, but another factor was a rapid rise in construction costs for power plants. “The cost of everything has just skyrocketed,” he said. Natural gas plants have less steel and concrete than coal plants and require less labor to build. Florida Power and Light is a good example of the shift. The company has 4.5 million customers; it is adding about 85,000 a year, and demand from existing customers is rising. Last June, the Florida Public Service Commission killed the company’s plan for a big coal-fired plant near Everglades National Park that would have come into service in 2013 or 2014. The utility began looking immediately at two sites for solar power and at other renewable options, but could come up with enough of those to replace only a fraction of the power it would have generated at the coal plant. So the company decided to accelerate construction on a long-planned addition to an existing gas plant. Gas may appear to make sense for individual utilities, said Revis James, the director of the Energy Technology Assessment Center at the Electric Power Research Institute, a utility consortium. The problem will come if many utilities pile into gas-fired electricity generation at once, he said, driving up demand, and prices. Environmental groups argue that utilities should focus on cutting demand for power, rather than build new capacity. Meanwhile, some utilities have decided to wait for a clear global-warming policy to emerge from Washington. Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Energy? Sustainability? Buy LOCAL?

"Organic turkeys et al from Warrenton Farm"

« Return to List

Primary / Website URL: http://www.fauquiernow.com/page.cfm/article/Organic-Thanksgiving-turkeys-raised-on-a-Warrenton-farm

Photo courtesy of Lawrence Emerson - Editor FauquierNOW at www.fauquiernow.com

Read article in FauquierNOW published Sunday November 13, 2011 - click URL above

Energy / sustainability connections are sometimes found in the least expected places?

Best practices in farming right here in Fauquier County Virginia!

Jesse Straight’s Pastured Poultry
5703 Wilshire Drive
Warrenton, Va. 20187
540.349.3099

Just look at the sun shining on these turkeys. Have you ever seen happier birds enjoying fresher food?

No buildings to house the birds. No grid based electricity to light or heat the buildings. Minimal (if any) CO2 footprint compared to traditional methods. Quality in every aspect.

Greener businesses gain new clients - FASTER!

"How do prospects know you are greener than the competition?"

« Return to List

Primary / Website URL: http://www.fcps1.org/

Click "<< Return to list" to view slides / F11 for fuller image

We have multiple ways to promote your business while proving that you are indeed greener (we show you how) than the competition! E-Profile(s) prepared per your instructions / content or DIY, story boards for online and / or store display, priority placement in searches (growing repository content / formats below), increased traffic to your existing web site, better results from newsletters, (passive) marketing techniques when clients want the details about your business highlights, events, sales ... in their own time frames (24 x 365) at their convenience ...

Click "Entity" above and Key "characters" (below) in named field click Search

1) FCPS or FY09 or FY10 or %cap or students Entity for Fauquier County Public Schools energy basemarks where over 11000 students go to 20 schools via 160 buses with 25000+ adults supporting annual operations and expenses of over $120M per year - High school addition / renovation of $32M under construction - LEED Gold certified - Geothermal, natural lighting, automated systems designed to reduce energy usage www.fcps1.org

2) AEEE in Entity for businesses that supported the Alternative Energy Expo Exhibitors - With the current state of the economy - if they are still in business today - they are worth a call tomorrow www.aecpes.org

3) Energy: Conservation in Category and see the of diversity energy conservation initiatives as a part of "Sustainability"

4) 540 in Phone to view how these initiatives started - From Fauquier in the north to Albermarle / Charlottesville Virginia in the south - Start your own "Energy Conservation / Sustainability" membership organization in your area code - Patience needed with this SEARCH - Takes about 30 seconds if you have dial-up

5) Main in Street - You will be surprised - More join everyday - Start your own network in your city, town, village, resort, community, rural area, county, geographic region

6) Warrenton or YourTown in City and abbreviations work just as well - try War or Noke

7) 20137 or 20186 in Zip - Start your own energized group in your area

8) Thwar in Key(s) - Part of our multi-level security programs - Keys are never visible except when an Entity / E-Profile is updated by the owner - Therefor - Keys are useful to keep your group private for internal communications (E-Com) with optional email addresses only needed during Registration and can be immediately deleted ensuring NO SPAM - GUARANTEED!

9) Energy in Text - SEARCHES are NOT case sensitive

10) Terrabuilt in Links

11) NY in State

12) Fauquier in County - Start a new energy conservation / being more sustainable group in your county - contact us for details on how to get started

Photo courtesy of Mindful Living

Community initiatives include one Mid-Atlantic area located in Virginia - Fauquier County www.energized-fauquier.com

Greener businesses have competitive-edge

"New clients, growth opportunities due to being greener than your competition - It works! We help prospects find your business sooner, not later!"

« Return to List

Primary / Website URL: http://www.thwars.com

Click "<< Return to list" to view slides / F11 for fuller image

How do others learn that you are the better of two similar businesses? We have solutions that increase your visibility / market share, gain new prospects and save you money at the same time!

Business, retail, offices, homes, Main Street, commercial development ...

When two similar businesses compete to increase their client base the "greener" entity wins the race to survive and grow

Historical competitive-edge aspects include customer service, physical location, price of goods sold, value for $ spent, lower cost (to you) of product, reputation, networking, technology ...

Two identical houses on the same street: One sells for more and in less time than the other. Why?

In this economy you need new ideas to stay in business / sell your home

A "greener" home using less finite energy is worth more to a buyer

A "greener" business clicks with an ever expanding network of discerning clients

How does a building become "greener" in < 30 days for almost ZERO cost?

Next "slide" (Entity) has details ....

Photo: Homes that use less finite energy save thousands of dollars for occupants

Greener business model expands - case study

"Simple idea. New locations. Saving energy."

« Return to List

Primary / Website URL: http://www.sharebike.org

Why does a riderless bike stay upright at a specific speed?

Roanoke: Bike design evolving based on this unique technological investigation. Innovation is alive and well in the

USA

Click "<< Return to list" to leisurely View each "Entity" seen in your (ever changing) slide show (by the hour and / or day)!

540 219 0445 (EST) to setup / display your own slide show - Reasonable rates - Increasing online audience of prospects for your "greener" business, non-profit, organization, etc. Complete privacy (NO spam) guaranteed - Contact.by.e*m*a*i*l

Logo courtesy of ShareBike founded in Roanoke Virginia - To VIEW website click link

Greener businesses attract growing audience

"When two similar businesses compete to increase their client base the "greener" entity is more likely to survive and prosper"

« Return to List

Primary / Website URL: http://www.energized-fauquier.com/

Click "<< Return to list" to leisurely read each slide / F11 for fuller image

Since 1970 only 25% of grid-based electricity has come from newly constructed power plants as businesses, individuals and organizations adopt responsible strategies that reduce consumption through conservation and more efficient technologies!

Enjoy increased traffic to your web site, links to newsletters, informative displays inside your store designed to capture prospect interest, reduce staff workload ...

DYNAMICALLY display text, links, images on IMPORTANT current events, discounts, products, services for YOUR clients / prospects / group / organization / staff / vendors / support teams .. Daily / frequent updates link to (your) existing web site, communications ...

Greener businesses lower utilities by 10 to 25%

"Enjoy long term ongoing cost reductions and pay for being "greener" through lower utility expenses!"

« Return to List

Primary / Website URL: http://www.thwars.com/

Click "<< Return to list" to view slides / F11 for fuller image

Headline: Occupants save 10 - 25% in electric utility expenses ... Benchmark record = 82%

Unique intellectual property, easy-to-use technology and simple 3-step process ensures that any existing building will be "greener" in < 30 days at minimal (if not ZERO) cost!

What if your business is already green, sustainable and has a great story to share? We provide the online presence and get the word out about your initiatives, results and unique competitive edge!

View Thermostat Wars and Greener Counties with unique URLs / Banners / Slide shows - We provide all 3 for a low annual fee (multi-year discounts on request) within 7 business days

Paid for by reduced electric utility costs - What a concept!

Photo courtesy of Partnership for Warrenton promoting local businesses / Buy Local programs through local events

Greener businesses manage change QUICKER

"Greener attributes give powerful message. Discerning prospects learn about your greener business in a simple friendly non-intrusive manner."

« Return to List

Primary / Website URL: http://www.yourwebsite.com

Click "<< Return to list" to view slides / F11 for fuller image

Dynamic news for your members, prospects, clients for about $1.35 / day!

Promote sales, discounts, events, special offers, products, services, results ...

Competitive edge includes:

Research / custom banner
Traffic to other websites
Highlights for business, organization, group, entity ...
Slides / pages / entities
Hosting / security
Basemarks / benchmarks
Access to a uniquely qualified audience
Increased traffic to your website
Training / knowledge transfer
Publicity

Call 540 219 0445 (EST) or EmailUS for quote / details